How can I prevent my personal data from being used to manipulate or humiliate me?

Rigorous Control of Information (Principle of Minimum Exposure)

The most effective way to prevent personal data from being used to manipulate or humiliate is not to make it public in the first place. You should operate under the "principle of minimum exposure".

In social networks, this means reviewing the profile biography: do not include your full name, your exact date of birth, or the school you attend.

Aggressors use this data to create false profiles (impersonation) or to locate the victim. As for visual content (photos and videos), the rule should be even stricter.

Before posting a photo, it must be analyzed: Can you see the school uniform? Can you see the license plate of a car or the doorway of a house? Is the publication geolocating, telling you exactly where you are at that moment? All this information is gold to a stalker.

Geolocation of posts should be turned off by default.

The "Rule of Contexts": Separate Audiences

Not all information is for everyone. A common mistake is to use the same platform and profile to interact with family, close friends and classmates.

This allows a conflict in one area (school) to spill over into the others. To avoid this, it is recommended to separate audiences.

For example, use applications such as Instagram with the "Close Friends" functionality to share more personal content only with a verified circle of trust.

Adults who are not family or trusted friends should not be accepted on social networks.

Also, be aware of what information is shared via private messaging.

Many humiliations begin with a screenshot of a private chat that is made public.

What is written privately may not remain private; the only guarantee is not to share secrets, intimate photos or sensitive confessions by digital means.

Technical Privacy Hardening

Prevention is not only behavioral, but also technical. The first step is to perform a privacy audit on all accounts (Instagram, TikTok, Google, etc.).

All accounts must be in "private" mode. This is non-negotiable.

In addition, app permissions should be reviewed: why does that game need access to my contacts or my camera? An advanced step is to control tagging.

Platforms allow you to configure that no one can tag you in a photo or post without your manual approval. This is vital.

It prevents a perpetrator from uploading a humiliating photo and tagging you, making it appear on your profile and alerting all your contacts.

Taking control of tags is taking control of how others see you online.

Summary

To avoid manipulation, the principle of minimum exposure should be applied. Never post sensitive data such as your full name, your school or your address, not even in photos.

Separate your audiences. Use "best friends" tools for personal content and be careful what you share in private chats, as a screenshot can make it public.

Prevention is technical: set all your accounts to "private" mode. Fundamentally, activate manual approval of tags; this prevents someone from tagging you in a humiliating photo without your permission.